The Genevans to embark on spring break tour

The Genevans, the student choir of Geneva College, continues its 75th anniversary concert season with a 12-concert tour of the southeast United States taking place March 1-11, 2013. Beginning in Pittsburgh, members of the ensemble will be spending Spring Break singing their way through West Virginia, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, and Maryland.

Leading the excursion this spring will be Dr. David Kenneth Smith, in his first year as the conductor. Former director Dr. Robert Copeland, having led The Genevans for the past 31 years, retired last May.

"Walk as Children of Light" is the theme for the concert of sacred choral music to be presented. The program is intended to celebrate this milestone year in the choir′s history, as well as explore the book of Ephesians. In addition to favorites such as Sons of Geneva, the school′s Alma Mater, Smith added several of his own compositions.

"I was actually shocked that I could not find settings of Ephesians by the big names like Bach, Brahms and Mendelssohn," says Smith. "But with more digging, arranging, and with help from several friends, we′ve collected a great set of pieces for the most important passages of the book."

In addition, the choir commissioned Indiana native composer Diane Whitacre to write a choral setting of Psalm 98, which will be performed on the tour. "The piece never fails to give me chills," Smith said. "It builds such intensity and joy. Diane releases the exuberant praise the psalmist had in mind when he wrote âlet the mountains sing together for joy!′"

This tour will be the first in many years without Dr. Robert Copeland, who served as director of The Genevans from 1981 until his retirement following the 2012 spring semester.

The student choir of Geneva College, The Genevans is heir to a tradition of choral singing dating from the early years of the college over a century and a half ago. The choir′s repertoire is broad and varied, reflecting the belief that "all of life, always and everywhere, is life in the presence of God."

Geneva College invites students to accept the challenge of an academically excellent, Christ-centered education. Offering nearly 40 undergraduate majors, an Adult Degree Completion Program with fully online and campus-based options, and seven graduate degrees, Geneva has programs that place students at the forefront of higher learning. Adhering to the inerrancy of scripture, the liberal arts core curriculum fosters a breadth of knowledge through the study of humanities, social and natural sciences, and experiential learning.